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Day of protomartyr St. Stephen

The third day of Christmas, 27 December, is marked as St. Stephen’s Day in Bulgaria. Orthodox Christians honour St. Stephen, the first martyr or protomartyr for the Christian faith and first archdeacon, stoned to death in the year 37 after an argument with Jewish notables.

Stefan, meaning “wreath” is one of the most popular names in Bulgaria. All people named Stefan, Stefka, Stoyan, Stoyanka, Ventsislav and their derivatives celebrate their patron saint’s day or name day. According to popular belief, St. Stephen’s day “completes the cycle” of the old year.



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